Some of that Gross Stuff Parents Don't Discuss

Let's get a little nasty shall we? Parenthood is really a wonderful vocation, but one can't ignore the disgusting part.  Before you have kids, people rarely tell you about the gross stuff.  You hear about ear infections and tummy aches.  You may hear about something exotic (actually very common), like Hand Foot Mouth, which you will naively confuse with Hoof-Mouth disease.  You may even expect that at some point you will be vomited on.

But you don't consider that you will be covered in vomit while your heart breaks for the little guy who is also covered in vomit, sitting in a bed pooled in the same disgusting stuff.

And those are the sick times.  The gross stuff continues in the 'well times' also.  Who else (other an parents) can expect to have a 2-year old bring them a brown-coated stinky index finger for cleaning?

No, it wasn't boogers.

Yes, it was today.

No, I still don't know why she had poop on her finger but I am pretty sure I know how it got there.

This week has been particularly bad for us with one child vomiting (I ducked) and another child with pinworms, but it is nothing compared to the ordeal of our licecapades back on Mother's Day.

Wait what?

Did I just say PINWORMS like it was nothing?  Yes, I said it.  WORMS.  I am still squirming whenever I actually think of it.  How does a child in a developed country even get those?

Dirt.

Thumb sucking.

The little eggs are in the dirt.  My daughter LOVES to play in the dirt.  So then the thumb goes in her mouth as soon as she gets tired of digging.  Those little eggs travel down into her tummy/intestines where they hatch (GROSS) and the little worms live in the intestines.  It is just about the grossest NORMAL childhood issue.  In fact the CDC reports that prevalence of pinworms in the 'under age 18' population is 50%.  That means the half of all kids will get them at some time. ** If any of my friend's kids get them - sorry.  Really, I am. Call me and I will buy you the treatment myself. It is not likely but of course it is possible.  We treated everyone in our family with an over-the-counter remedy just in case.

Is it preventable? Sure.  Especially if your kid isn't an independent-minded-digger-thumbsucker.  For those of us who have kids who can't seem to keep their hands out of their mouths, the chance of infection will be greater.

So here we are, poop, vomit, worms, coughs and fever, all in a period of just a few days.  We had been healthy for a really long time so I guess we were due a bad week.  But this really is just another day in the life of a parent.  The nastiness of this job takes nothing away from the awesomeness of this calling.  We didn't sign up for kids because of the pay, or the glamour, or the ease.

We have kids because we are driven to do so by love.  

We love these little souls even in the poopie moments.  In these tough times, we are there for our kids and with our kids.  I may loose my temper today… let me rephrase… I already lost my temper once today… but that takes nothing away from the fact that I was up all night checking on, loving on, and taking care of these little people who desperately needed me.   In the dark of night, moms and dads are the people who run to try to 'catch' vomit.  Our kids see that and most importantly they feel that in the depths of who they are.   Much like having a co-worker who survived a tough case with you, or a travel partner who was there as you barely got home from a difficult trip,  a family grows together in the tough moments too.  We drop everything else and focus on what is important.  Showing love through our service to one another as we nurse the little ones back to good health.  So during this cold and flu season, know that you are not the only mamma out there loving on your little one and saying prayers that it doesn't spread to the rest of your clan.

Thanks for stopping by!

**And for my followers who actually know my family outside of the blog… please use discretion in discussing materials contained in this post with any of your own kids.  I wouldn't want my little ones to be social pariahs because there mom shared too much! Thanks!